Robert Anson Heinlein wrote, “An armed society is a polite society.” He was envisioning a world where people would carry sidearms openly and would be trained to handle them. In March 2018, Florida’s governor signed a bill that would allow selected instructors in a school to be armed. The idea behind the bill is toRead More
Category: Legislation
Legislation and Child Rearing
Perhaps there is no area of legislation, law enforcement and social consideration of greater consideration or more hotly debated than those governing domestic considerations, especially child rearing. Legislation and child rearing have gone hand in hand before but are rarely comfortable partners. The challenge is to define that thin, narrow line between protecting children andRead More
Summer Days, Hot Cars, and the Law
As summer winds down to an end, cars parked along streets and in parking lots can reach alarming temperatures in a big hurry. On a balmy 80-degree Fahrenheit day, temperatures in a vehicle with the windows rolled up can reach an alarming 130 to 178 degrees – definitely warm enough to be life-threatening. A Mother’sRead More
Poethics: A Study in Law and Literature
There is the literature of law – the heavy tomes that recount case studies, interpretations of legislation, historical court cases and other legal situations; then there is law in literature, fictional, biographical or non-fiction stories in which legal ramifications loom large in the narration, or which deal directly with points of law. Add to thatRead More
The Line Between a Felony and a Misdemeanor
Crimes have a general classification but can be broken down further into several categories depending on the level of severity. A crime can also be ranked as a felony or misdemeanor depending on the serious consequences of the criminal act. The categorization of a crime will influence how the case is handled, which is whyRead More
Is It Time to Axe Bite-Mark Testimony?
Evidence in Criminal Proceedings Evidence is the mainstay for timely resolution of criminal proceedings. It provides the agreeable stand on which the court—judge(s) or jury—makes convictions and acquittals. Understandably, evidence admitted for consideration exists in different forms. Traditionally, these forms include testimony of witnesses, video and/or image data, and forensic evidence—DNA or bite-mark testimony. HowRead More
The Impact of Criminal Charges on your Driving Privilege
Is driving a right or a privilege? In the State of Florida, driving is considered a privilege and not a right. A person’s driving privilege can be suspended, canceled or revoked for a number of reasons that can include (but are not limited to) failing to pay a ticket, failing to pay child support, orRead More
Can You Break the Law in Virtual Reality?
Virtual reality is now becoming mainstream. What was once a popular topic for science fiction, virtual reality is now becoming – for lack of a better word, a reality. The Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, Microsoft HoloLens, Jaunt, One Plus, Sony PlayStation VR, and Google Cardboard are just a few of the popular VR headsets thatRead More
Date Rape: What It Is, the Law and the Consequences
Date Rape The difference between ‘date rape’ and standard ‘rape’ in the legal context is restricted to the legal meaning of the terms. Thus, they carry the same serious consequences. ‘Date rape’ is a specific form of rape where the victim knows the rapist, as opposed to the average idea that the perpetrator is aRead More
Florida “Murderabilia” and “Son of Sam” Laws
It is the times really, crime fascinates our society, and the morbid curiosity for all things crime can be nauseating at extreme levels. The biggest culprits for the advance of this crime fascination are the media and cinema. Heinous crimes get plenty of media attention, prime networks fall over each other to get exclusives fromRead More